NASA Confirms New SIMPLEx Mission Small Satellite to Blaze Trails Studying Lunar Surface
December 3, 2020 | NASAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

On Nov. 24, the Lunar Trailblazer, a mission selected under NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, passed its Key Decision Point-C (KDP-C) milestone, obtaining agency-level endorsement to begin final design of hardware and build. The milestone also provides the project’s official schedule and budget determination.
“Lunar Trailblazer will confirm whether water on the Moon is tightly bound in crystalline rock, as recently suggested by NASA’s SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) observations, or loosely bound and mobile as a function of temperature,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “This SIMPLEx mission bolsters our portfolio of targeted science missions designed to test pioneering technologies while reducing overall costs using new streamlined processes.”
Producing the highest resolution basemaps to locate ice or water trapped in rock at the Moon’s surface, Lunar Trailblazer will help support NASA’s Artemis program, which includes establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon by the end of the decade and preparing for crewed missions to Mars.
“We’re excited to help answer big planetary science questions with a small satellite by making the new maps of water on the Moon,” said Bethany Ehlmann, the mission’s principal investigator, of Caltech. “Given the importance of water on the Moon for future robotic and human missions, Lunar Trailblazer will provide critical basemaps to guide future exploration.”
Peering into the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions, Lunar Trailblazer will detect signatures of ice in reflected light, and it will pinpoint the locations of micro-cold traps less than a football field in size. Collecting measurements at multiple times of day over sunlit regions, the mission will help scientists understand whether the water signature on the illuminated surface changes as the lunar surface temperature changes by hundreds of degrees over the course of a lunar day.
“Lunar Trailblazer will vastly advance our understanding of water cycles on airless bodies like the Moon,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “By measuring both direct light and low levels of terrain-scattered light, Lunar Trailblazer will generate comprehensive maps of surface water ice, even in the Moon’s darkest regions.”
Selected in 2019, Lunar Trailblazer is the second mission from the current round of programs to receive confirmation and plans to deliver its flight system in October 2022, with a currently planned February 2025 launch. The Janus mission received its confirmation in early September 2020 and will investigate the formation and evolution of small, deep-space “rubble pile” asteroids. The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission is still in formulation, with its KDP-C planned for summer of 2021.
“Lunar Trailblazer has a talented, multi-institutional team whose collective effort resulted in a successful formulation phase and confirmation review,” said Calina Seybold, Lunar Trailblazer Project manager, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “I am thrilled that the team has earned the privilege of continuing to our final design and fabrication phase.”
Suggested Items
Global PCB Connections: Embedded Components—The Future of High-performance PCB Design
06/19/2025 | Jerome Larez -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsA promising advancement in this space is the integration of embedded components directly within the PCB substrate. Embedded components—such as resistors, capacitors, and even semiconductors—can be placed within the internal layers of the PCB rather than mounted on the surface. This enables designers to maximize available real estate and improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
Preventing Surface Prep Defects and Ensuring Reliability
06/10/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIn printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, surface preparation is a critical process that ensures strong adhesion, reliable plating, and long-term product performance. Without proper surface treatment, manufacturers may encounter defects such as delamination, poor solder mask adhesion, and plating failures. This article examines key surface preparation techniques, common defects resulting from improper processes, and real-world case studies that illustrate best practices.
SMTA Releases Final Batch of Training Resources Donated by Bob Willis
05/29/2025 | SMTAThe Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) announces the release of several more webinars, poster sets, and photo libraries to conclude a generous donation from renowned industry expert Bob Willis.
American Standard Circuits to Exhibit and Speak at SMTA Oregon Expo
05/14/2025 | American Standard CircuitsAnaya Vardya, President, and CEO of American Standard Sunstone Circuits has announced that his company will be exhibiting SMTA Oregon Expo & Tech Forum to be held on May 20 at the Wingspan Events and Conference Center in Hillsboro, Oregon.
EIPC Summer Conference 2025: PCB Innovation in Edinburgh
04/18/2025 | EIPCEIPC have very wisely selected this wonderful city in Scotland as the venue for their Summer Conference on June 3-4. Whilst delegates will be distilling the proven information imparted by the speakers in the day, in the evening they will be free spirits at the Conference Dinner.